


Inquisitio

by just_a_dram



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Religious, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Religious Conflict, Tumblr: promptsinpanem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-05
Updated: 2012-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 17:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/529757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_dram/pseuds/just_a_dram
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss and Peeta in the time of the medieval inquisition in 13<sup>th</sup> century southern France.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inquisitio

**Author's Note:**

> **Pairing** : Katniss/Peeta  
>  **Rating** : T for canonical character death ****  
>  **Author's Note** : Written for day four of the Prompts in Panem event, where you were required to place Everlark in a different era. [Original posting](http://justadram.tumblr.com/post/32901684056/inquisitio).

_On the 25 th of March in the year of our Lord 1242, sitting before Brother Coriolanus Snow of the Order of Preachers, the following men and women gave testimony recorded by notary Seneca Crane in the Bishop’s Palace at Toulouse._

Brother Snow asked the wife of Mellark if she had ever seen a heretic, given one anything, or partaken in their ceremonies.

Madame Mellark responded that she had never given anything to a heretic nor partaken in their ceremonies, but she knew of one heretic named Katniss Everdeen, who frequently came into the village to trade and spread her vile errors.

When asked how many times she had seen Mademoiselle Everdeen, she said many and numerous times, and she knew her to be a heretic, because she was in the company of the notorious heretic, Gale Hawthorne.  She also said that neither of their fathers had come to any good, so she avoided them when she could.

When asked whether she knew who associated with Mademoiselle Everdeen and what houses she could be found in, she said that Katniss met with all types of bad folk, but never was welcome in her home.  She said she had caught her son giving bread to the girl, when he was still under her roof, and she hit him about the face for it, knowing heretics to be evil and contrary to God.  She told him not to talk or give anything more to heretics, for she would not have him under her roof if he did, and as far as she knew, he had not.

…

Brother Snow asked Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son, whether he had ever seen a heretic, given one anything, or partaken in their ceremonies.

Peeta responded that he had never seen a heretic and wouldn’t know one should he happen upon one.

When asked whether he had ever had dealings with Katniss Everdeen or Gale Hawthorne, he said he was familiar enough with them.  He said that he had noticed the Mademoiselle as well as other girls, but he thought Katniss and Gale to be promised to each other from the time they were children, so he never approached her.  He knew them to be shepherds that lived outside of the village and that they sometimes came into the village for reasons of trade.  Furthermore, he had seen Mademoiselle Everdeen in Church at Easter, and she had sung as beautifully as an angel from what he thought he knew of heaven.

When asked whether he had ever given anything to either of them, he said that he had once given Mademoiselle Everdeen a burnt loaf of risen bread out of the Christian goodness of his heart, for she was barefoot and hungry, and the Lord commands us to care for our neighbors, and he would have given to her all his goods and more if given the chance.  But he said that was the only time he had the opportunity to help Mademoiselle Everdeen, and that his father had conducted all trade between their family and Gale Hawthorne, so that he had very little contact with that man.

Brother Snow asked whether Katniss Everdeen had ever spoken to him about the Church, baptism, marriage, or confession, and he said that they had never exchanged words on any topic, though he would have been happy enough to speak with her.

…

Monsieur Mellark, the baker, was asked whether he had ever given anything to Katniss Everdeen or Gale Hawthorne.

He said that they traded sometimes—a loaf of peasant bread or a few silver coins for meat, whatever they had caught and skinned.

Brother Snow asked whether Monsieur Mellark was familiar with their families.

He replied he did not know the Hawthornes but had known Widow Everdeen since they were but children.  He said that once they were promised to each other, but that was many years ago before she had married beneath herself and fallen on hard times, and since then they had not had reason to speak though he still thought highly of her and taught his son to be kind to them.

Brother Snow then asked whether he was aware of the relationship between his son, Peeta, and Katniss Everdeen, and he replied that Peeta spent his afternoons with the shoemaker’s daughter, Delly Cartwright.

When asked whether he knew that the Everdeens and Hawthornes had bad reputations, he responded that he never knew Widow Everdeen to be anything but kind and good, and that she ministered to those in the village who were sick.  He knew passing little about the Hawthornes but had never heard anything troubling about them.

…

Delly Cartwright, the shoe maker’s daughter, was asked whether she had ever seen a heretic, or had cause to give them something or partake in their ceremonies, and she replied that she had not.

She was asked whether she was promised to Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son, and she said that Peeta wished to marry another girl, though he had never told her who.

…

Brother Snow asked Widow Everdeen whether she had ever seen a heretic, given one anything, or partaken in their ceremonies.

She replied that no, she had not.

When asked whether her family had dealings with Gale Hawthorne, she said that she had known him since he was a boy.

When asked about the character of Gale Hawthorne, she responded that he cared for his family and had promised to help theirs as well.

She was asked whether she ever heard him speak about the Church, baptism, marriage, or confession, and she said she no, she had not.

She was asked whether her daughter was promised to Gale Hawthorne, and she replied that her daughter was too young to be thinking of such things and that she needed her at home to help, for they were poor and sometimes went hungry.

She was asked what she thought of poverty, and she said that it was the life she had chosen, when she married her deceased husband.

Brother Snow asked her whether she ministered to the sick.

She replied that she used the talents given to her by God to help those in need.

When asked whether this included visiting the dying, she replied that she helped where she could.

When asked whether she brought her daughter with her on such visits, she replied that Katniss was not in the practice of coming with her, but she had a younger daughter, who sometimes went with her where she was needed.

_Marginalia: Widow Everdeen is not overly cooperative. She is given to prolonged periods of silence. Questions have to be posed more than once to elicit a response._

…

Brother Snow asked Primrose Everdeen, daughter of Widow Mellark, whether she ministered to the sick.

Primrose said that she did not yet have the talent of her mother, but she could make a tincture and bring down a fever and that she’d been present at births and deaths.

When asked what homes she had visited with her mother, she replied that there was hardly a home in the village they had not visited, but that not everyone could pay and sometimes they were given coin and sometimes bread and sometimes nothing at all.

When asked whether she had ever visited the fortification of Lord Undersee, she said she had not, but her sister, Katniss, was a friend of his daughter’s and sometimes went to that place.

Brother Snow then asked whether in addition to Mademoiselle Undersee, Katniss was also friends with Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son, and she said that Katniss was not overly fond of many people, but she had never said anything bad about Peeta Mellark, so she considered him a good man as a result.

When asked about Gale Hawthorne’s dealings with her sister, she replied that Katniss and Gale spent much time together, but she knew not the nature of their bond, for her sister was private.

…

Madge Undersee, daughter of Lord Undersee, was asked whether she was familiar with Katniss Everdeen.

She replied that yes, they were more than passing acquaintances.

Brother Snow asked whether she had ever given anything to Katniss or her companion, Gale Hawthorne, and Mademoiselle Undersee said that she had once given a pin in the shape of a bird to Katniss, for she was to be traveling, and it was to be a reminder of her.  She said that she had never given anything to Gale, for her father handled all trade in their home, but Gale had once brought her fresh strawberries, which she ate underneath the tree in the village they called the hanging tree.

When she was asked whether they ever spoke to her about the Church, baptism, marriage, or confession, she said that Katniss held her tongue more often than not, unlike other women in the village, and that though he had been in her home, she had never had any occasion to talk much with Gale Hawthorne.

When asked whether Katniss Everdeeen and Gale Hawthorne were lovers, Mademoiselle Undersee responded that all she knew about Gale Hawthorne’s relations with women was limited to her personal experience with him and that Katniss did not gossip about any men in the village, though she was often in Gale’s company.

When asked whether Katniss Everdeen ever mentioned her relationship with the baker’s son, Mademoiselle Undersee replied that she was unaware that they had any relationship.

When asked whether they had ever had reason to interact with each other, she said that once Peeta Mellark had nearly bested his brother in a contest of strength on a festival day, and she thought perhaps she recalled Katniss being there with a dandelion tucked behind her ear, cheering Peeta on along with the rest, for he was well liked by everyone, but she had never heard her speak about the baker’s son.

…

Brother Snow asked Lord Undersee whether he had ever seen a heretic, given one anything, or partaken in their ceremonies.

Lord Undersee replied that if there were ever people of ill repute in the village, it was his practice to report it to the bishop.  Such a thing was his responsibility as lord of the village, but knowing heretics to be evil, he stayed away from them himself and saw to it that his family did the same.

When asked whether he had dealings with Katniss Everdeen and Gale Hawthorne, he replied that he knew of them.

When asked whether he was aware of their bad reputations, he replied that he was not.  His dealings with them were limited strictly to trade.  He sometimes gave them coin for meat, which they brought with them to the village for the purpose of trade, but beyond that he had never spoken with them and did not know them to be heretics.

Brother Snow asked him whether he had knowledge of his daughter’s friendship with Katniss Everdeen, and he said that Madge was a good girl and he knew her to be a good Christian, who would not mix with those who spoke evil against the Church.

…

Brother Snow asked the notorious heretic, Gale Hawthorne, to confess his beliefs on the Church, and he replied that the Church was a bloated monster, who fed hungrily upon the people.  He said that one could not be saved by the grace of the Church, and that the priests were nothing but rabid dogs.

Brother Snow asked the notorious heretic, Gale Hawthorne, what he thought of poverty, and he said that it was better to be poor than rich and unfeeling and that only the poor would be saved.

He was asked whether he believed in the sacraments, and he said if he took a wife it would be without benefit of the Church’s consent and that for all the rest of it, it was nothing but superstition.

He was asked to name those who believed like him, and he said he did not make a practice of asking into the state of other men’s souls, for he was not one of those men who called themselves a priest and did not offer the false hope of absolution.

He was asked whether his lover was Katniss Everdeen, and he said that any efforts he had made to secure Katniss were for naught, for Katniss Everdeen would have no man.

When asked whether Katniss Everdeen visited people’s homes with him to preach their errors, he said that he was unaware that visiting people’s homes was now prohibited and that he could not remember who accompanied him at such times he entered the village nor what was said during those visits.

When asked whether Widow Everdeen and her younger daughter were Waldensians, he said that Widow Everdeen was kind and had mourned much since her husband’s passing, and that Primrose Everdeen was a good woman and talented at her art.  He said that she practiced it for the purpose of saving others.

_Marginalia: Gale Hawthorne’s attitude is difficult and disrespectful.  He is happy enough to confess his willful errors but reluctant to name his fellow heretics._

…

Brother Snow asked Katniss Everdeen whether Gale Hawthorne was her lover.

She replied that he was like a brother to her.

She was asked whether she knew Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son, and she said that she knew of him.

When asked whether he was her lover, she replied that she had no lover.

When asked what she thought of marriage, she replied that she had no interest in ever having a husband, for they were more trouble than they were worth and that her mother was proof enough of that.

When asked what she thought of baptism and confession, she replied that we better ask a priest.

When asked why she would not respond truthfully and fully, she said that she was but a simple woman with little education in such matters.

When asked whether Gale Hawthorne had ever preached his errors to her, she said she only concerned herself with saving her family and not with the disagreements of churchmen.

When asked what she thought of the Church, she said that if wealth was proof of righteousness, the Church must be exceedingly righteous.

When asked what she thought of poverty, she said she had much practice in it but could not recommend it.

When asked whether only the poor are saved, she responded that we better ask a priest.

Brother Snow asked her whether she visited the sick along with her mother and sister.

She replied that she kept away, because she could not abide the sight of blood.

Katniss Everdeen was asked what homes she frequented, and she said she could not recall every home in the village she had ever had cause to enter.

Brother Snow asked her whether she was familiar with Madge Undersee, and she said she was, but had never been inside her home, for she was the child of a lowly shepherd and Mademoiselle Undersee was the Lord’s daughter.

He asked whether Mademoiselle Undersee ever gave her something, and she replied that her memory was not so good and she could not remember.

Brother Snow asked whether she had ever had reason to enter the Mellark home, and she said that Madame Mellark did not like her and she would never step foot underneath that woman’s roof.

He asked whether Peeta Mellark , the baker’s son, ever gave her something, and she replied that Peeta Mellark was a good man and she knew him to be charitable, though his mother did not abide his kindness towards the poor, for she was not a Christian woman.  She said that Madame Mellark had a reputation for hitting her sons, though they were too old for such treatment.  Peeta would never let someone starve, she said.

When she was asked about the baker and Lord Undersee, she replied that she sometimes had reason to trade meat with them, but she had very little reason to speak to them besides.

_Marginalia: Katniss Everdeen willfully lies about her dealings with supporters of heresy and is not forthcoming about her beliefs._

…

_The Sentences of Brother Coriolanus Snow, as recorded by notary Plutarch Heavensbee in the year of our Lord 1242 on the 30 th of June, to be read aloud._

Peeta Mellark, _fautor_ of heretics, must complete the penance of supporting the Latin Empire by crusading in Constantinople for the period of two years, and going and coming from there he shall don yellow crosses.

Monsieur Mellark must complete two pilgrimages, one short pilgrimage and one long pilgrimage.

Widow Everdeen, the Waldensian, shall be sentenced to imprisonment ( _ad murum largum_ ).

Primrose Everdeen, the unrepentant Waldensian, shall be relaxed over to the secular arm to be burned at the stake, and her home shall be knocked down and left as rubble as a lasting symbol of that family’s shame.

Madge Undersee, _fautor_ of heretics, must complete one long pilgrimage and wear the crosses for two years.

Lord Undersee must support a pauper for five years.

Gale Hawthorne, the notorious heretic, shall be flogged publically and sentenced to imprisonment ( _ad murum strictum_ ).

Katniss Everdeen, the believer, shall be sentenced to imprisonment ( _ad murum strictum_ ).

…

_Commutations of the Penitential Sentences of Brother Snow by Brother Alma Coin in the year of our Lord 1244 on the 4 th of October._

Widow Everdeen shall be released from imprisonment.  She shall be made to wear the yellow crosses for the rest of her life.

Gale Hawthorne shall be released from imprisonment.  He shall be paid for his services to the Church.

Katniss Everdeen shall be released from imprisonment.  She shall be made to wear the yellow crosses for the rest of her life.  She is banished from her village, and may not appear there under threat of having the commutation of her penitential sentence revoked.  She shall not have dealings with any of her former companions.

_Marginalia: Delly Cartright, the shoe maker’s daughter, reports that Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son, has not been seen in the village since the 10 th of October.  Having returned from fighting in the Latin Empire, Peeta worked alongside his father, baking bread.  Delly says she was not promised to him upon his return, although she would have liked him for a brother and she counted him among her friends.  She says that not long after Mademoiselle Everdeen’s release from the bishop’s jail and her exile from this village, Peeta disappeared.  He has not been seen within or without the village since that time.  She says that she noticed his absence, because she watched him carefully, always worrying about his happiness.  She says that Peeta told no one that he was leaving or where he might go, but her brother found a pair of yellow crosses discarded beneath the willow deep in the meadow, where the daisies grow, two days after the baker’s son went missing.  Delly says the mountains are cold, but she doesn’t think they’ll pay any mind, so long as the dandelions still grow._

Notes _  
_

Inquisitors operated out of manuals with set questions that led to very repetitive depositions. Did you see a heretic? Give the heretic anything? Shelter a heretic? Partake in their rituals? The focus was not on belief. Questions regarding belief tended to center on the sacraments, since Cathars and Waldensians rejected the sacraments of the Church and offered alternative sacraments to their believers.

They were more concerned with action, since most people were not knowledgeable about theology and asking them questions about theology was fruitless. Having dealings with heretics was enough to gain a bad reputation ( _mala fama_ ), which was proof enough for conviction. Particularly bad would be supporting a heretic through gifts of food and drink or letting them stay in your house. This made you a _fautor_ or supporter.

The people under deposition here were asked seemingly simple questions in order to knowingly or unknowingly implicate themselves and others in heresy. Here is how the chain of implication works (condemning aspects bolded):

  * Peeta’s mother confesses that her son **gave bread** to Katniss, who is often **seen in the company of a known heretic** , Gale.
  * Peeta confesses to having **given bread** to Katniss. That he **would have given her more** smacks of a fautor. He says that his father **trades** with Katniss and Gale.
  * Peeta’s father also confesses to **trading** with Katniss and the known heretic, Gale, though he claims not to have heard anything bad about them. He also asserts that Katniss’ mother **ministers to the sick**.
  * Delly Cartwright’s confession is fairly innocuous, but she indicates that Peeta **would like to marry** someone else. Inquisitors were very interested in sex lives and would have taken this as evidence of there being something more between Peeta and Katniss. Heretics were believed to be libidinous.
  * Katniss’ mother confesses that Gale, a known heretic, promised to **support** her family, which sounds like networks of heresy. She says she **chose poverty** , which sounds like the heretical views popular amongst Waldensians and Cathars that condemned the riches of the Church and preached that only the poor would be saved. She confesses to **efforts regarding the sick.** Both Cathars and Waldensians could be found at the bedside of the sick: Cathars to perform last rites and Waldensians to offer medical services. She says her Primrose **accompanied** her.
  * Primrose confesses to **ministering to the sick and dying**. Like her mother’s confession, this makes her sound like a Waldensian, particularly since she says they aren’t always paid for their services. She confesses that Katniss is often **seen in the company** of Madge and Gale. She says her sister is **secretive**. Heretics were believed to be secretive by nature.
  * Madge confesses to being **friends** with Katniss and **giving her a pin.** She says that Katniss was going to **travel** , and while this would be normal for a shepherd, travel was also common amongst heretics, who were forced to move frequently to avoid detection.  She also confesses to **accepting strawberries** from Gale. She implicates her father by saying he **trades** with Gale and Katniss.
  * Madge’s father also confesses to **trading** with them, though he claims to know nothing of their bad reputation.
  * Gale confesses to any number of **heretical views** , regarding the sacraments and poverty, but he is less eager to confess who might believe similarly. He unknowingly implicates Katniss by claiming she **will not marry** , which sounds like a repudiation of the sacrament of marriage, and Primrose, when he calls her a **good woman** , who **tends the sick in order to save them**. The heretics were often called Good Men and Good Women by their followers.
  * Katniss is less forthcoming and her confession would not be enough for a severe sentence without the bad reputation evident in the other confessions.



Penitential sentencing involved a great deal of flexibility on the part of the inquisitor. Anything from a short pilgrimage to imprisonment in chains ( _ad murum strictum_ ) for life could be assigned. The attitude of the witness could either help or hurt in terms of the severity. For example, the poor attitude of Gale and Katniss or the shell shocked response of Katniss’ mother would have been a mark against them in sentencing, which is why it was marked by a notary in the margins.

Particularly wealthy or powerful members of society were sometimes treated more harshly to serve as an example, so Madge’s father, though not an actual _fautor_ , receives a penance for having traded with heretics. Moreover, the nobility could afford a penance that involved money. Those who supported heresy could be sentenced to support legitimate charity, such as poor priests or the poor of Christ.

Pilgrimage was the most common form of penance and could be assigned to men and women. It was public and required a fair amount of effort on the part of penitent. Only men could be sent to crusade (another form of pilgrimage) on behalf of the Latin Empire, a particularly violent and dangerous penance.

Katniss’ mother does not have as bad a reputation as her daughter, so her form of incarceration is less severe ( _ad murum largum_ , where inmates were not chained). Gale is even more notorious than Katniss, so he is punished publicly as well as imprisoned in the strictest form. Finally, Primrose is relaxed to the secular arm, meaning she is handed over to secular authorities, who will burn her as an unrepentant heretic and then destroy their family home. She is doomed by Gale’s confession. This is historically inaccurate, since no one was burned during this stage of the inquisition. Earlier inquisitors used burning and 14th century inquisitors used burning, but it is unheard of among the inquisitors of southern France in this period.

Commutations were very common. Particularly for those imprisoned or assigned a penance for life, such as the wearing of crosses. Crosses marked you as a penitent, but people were afraid to be seen in the company of former heretics, so it led to joblessness and homelessness. It was not uncommon for people to dispose of their crosses and flee to a new village where they were unknown.

Gale is released under circumstances that aren’t made entirely clear. Sometimes commutations occurred under the understanding that the former heretic would act as a spy for the Church, reporting on his companions. Sorry, Gale.

Lastly, notes in the margin could be added after sentencing, particularly in cases where penitents had disappeared and failed to complete their penance.


End file.
